Portable refreshment bottles have been used for many years by cyclists, hikers, and others. During a lengthy activity the contents of the refreshment container may no longer be at the desired temperature. That is, a bottle that may have been chilled at the start of the day, may have warmed to ambient by the time the refreshment is required. Conversely, it a warmed liquid is desired, by the time the container is opened the liquid may only be lukewarm or tepid. One method of dealing with this has been to fill a refreshment container long enough beforehand to permit the contents to be frozen. Then the contents melt during the day, and retain at least some cooling effect far longer than they might otherwise have done. In the case of hot drinks, and cold drinks, another approach has been to use a glass bottle within a metal or rigid bottle, with an airspace between the inner and outer containers. While these containers maintain the hot temperature of the liquid well, they tend to be cumbersome. It would be advantageous to have a refreshment bottle that has a softer exterior than the rigid type of heat-retaining container, and yet be better insulated than merely a thin walled plastic bottle.
Another concern in recent times has related to transmission of disease by the common use of water bottles. One way around this problem is to provide a bottle with a nozzle that permits the liquid, typically water, to be squeezed out in a stream, such that the container need not touch anyone. Of course, it is difficult to squeeze a rigid insulated bottle. Again, it would be advantageous to have an insulated bottle that can be squeezed without the bottle actually touching the mouth of the person using it. To this end an insulation layer that can be squeezed at the same time as the bottle is desirable.
A disadvantage of traditional rigid insulated bottles is that it is highly inefficient to place them in the refrigerator or the freezer to freeze their contents. It would be more effective to be able to remove the inner container from the insulation layer, so that its contents can be relatively efficiently chilled or frozen, and then to replace the inner bottle within the insulation layer when the cooling operation has been completed. Further, for warm or sticky liquids the inner bottle can be washed and dried after filling, and before placement within the insulating layer. The removal of the bottle from the insulation layer also provides an opportunity for the insulation layer to be cleaned and dried if it has previously become soiled or sticky. it is also helpful for the insulation layer to have a collar for fitting about the neck or spout of the bottle, first to permit the bottle to be emptied without having to be removed from the insulation, and second to permit the bottle to be refilled with the insulation layer in place, if need be. A closure that can ease the collar, and thereby permit the bottle to be removed is also helpful, and it to be preferred over a removable lid that cam become detached and lost.
For a cyclist, or cross country skier, for example, it may be uncomfortable to travel with a large number of objects in one pant's pocket or another. In some instances the sportswear chosen is of a kind lacking pockets. Yet, having driven to a skiing or cycling location, a convenient place for keys, or other objects, may be desired. To that end it would be helpful to have a refreshment container that can be attached to the bicycle, or that can be slung about the body, that has a compartment, pocket, or pouch for containing such objects.
Placement of a pocket on a round, cylindrical surface poses some challenges. One is that, when a closure, such as a zipper, is drawn closed, the flexible panel to which it is attached, (that is, the body of the pocket), will tend to be drawn taut to the cylindrical shape. This may not yield a sufficiently capacious pocket, or may place undesirable stresses on the insulating layer, or cover material generally. However, one portion of the pocket, or pouch, such as a side or edge, can be eased by providing a collapsible or foldable gusset or tuck, or pleat. When the zipper or closure is drawn closed it will force one end of the gusset to be drawn tight, but the remainder will allow larger objects located to nestle preferentially along that side or edge. A somewhat elastic or flexible main pocket panel will enhance the usefulness of the pocket.
In an asymmetric pocket of this type, the part of the pocket furthest from the tuck or pleat, will still tend to be drawn in closely o the contour of the round cylindrical surface. As such it may not require the same breadth (or height, as the case may be) of the opposed side. Further, it has been observed that a sliding closure, such as a zipper, opens and closes with a pleasing feel when the line of action is inclined somewhat with respect to the longitudinal axis of the container. For a nominally straight sliding closure, the path as the closure follows the generally cylindrical surface will, if inclined, follow a helical arc. This pleasing action is enhanced when a handle, such as a relatively tight strap is placed on the opposite side of the container from the pocket, the handle is held with the fingers of one hand, and the zipper car is held with the fingers of the other hand.